Purifying Water and Producing Energy

Water is among the most important compounds on this planet, and its most useful form for our lives is purified water. In some situations, such as at or near the front lines of a warzone, getting purified water can be incredibly difficult and expensive (as much as $60 per gallon). Researchers at Michigan State University have created a device with the ability to not only purify water, but produce useable fuels.

Large-scale systems to purify water already exist, but this new creation has some advantages. The solar unit used to power the system has been carefully crafted to make it as much as 80% lighter than current units. A series of biological processes are used to break down waste water and food waste into methane which can then be used as fuel. A nano-filtration is used to clean the discharge from the biological processes to produce drinkable water.

Though the current focus is to provide the military with an advanced water purification system to ease supply chain issues, the researchers ultimately want this technology used to make wastes and asset, instead of a liability.